Trailer hitch



June 15, 1937. J M, AN ER 2,084,291

TRAILER HITCH Filed April 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l A llomey June 15, 193 7.

J. M. RANGER TRAILER HITCH Filed April 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor I J/V. Wanyr fi A lion-leg June 1 5, 1937. RANGER 2,084,291

TRAILER HITCH Filed April 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet, 5

@iam M is g Attorneys June 15, 1937. J, M, RAN ER 2,084,291

TRAILER HITCH Filed April 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor zfM Zarzyer Patented June 15 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,084,291 TRAILER. HITCH James M. Ranger, Muskegon, Mich.

Application April 25,

10 Claims.

' 5 hitch.

Needless to say, this field of invention is reasonably well developed but is nevertheless open to the entry therein of novel contributions possessed of needed refinements and improvements. Being generally conversant with the prior state of the art, I have discovered the need for a comparatively new fifth wheel construction possessed of appreciable distinction believed to be more aptly fitted for the specific purposes intended.

It follows, therefore, that my primary aim is to generally improve upon prior known marketed and patented draft couplings and similar flexible m jointing connections between semi-trailers and lead or powered vehicles, such as tractors, by pro- 20 viding an arrangement contrastingly different as will be hereinafter exemplified.

Briefly and broadly stated, novelty is predicated upon a special adaptation of parts characteriz'ed by an adapter plate or base attachable 25 to the tractor or power supply vehicle, and a complemental superimposed spaced parallel adapter plate for the overlying portion of the trailer, novel cushioning and universal jointing means being interposed between said adapter 30 plates, whereby to allow this improved fifth wheel construction to accommodate and automatically adjust itself to substantially all road and travel conditions.

Other features and advantages including the unusual king pin arrangement, and concentric companion ball and socket means will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate corresponding mechanical details throughout the views:

Figure l is a top plan view of the improved tractor hitch or fifth wheel constructed in accordance with the specific principles of the present inventive conception;

Figure 2 is a substantially central vertical or longitudinal sectional view through Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section, taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a ball joint element hereinafter referred to as a part of the inner ball and socket joint;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the especially designed king pin.

1936, Serial No. 76,453

Figure 6 is a bottom planview of the main jointing unit between the spaced parallel adapter plates;

Figures '7 and 8 are perspective views of annular shock-absorbing cushions or rings;

Figure 9 is a sectional view of thespring tensioning cupped nut.

Attention is directed first to Figure-2 wherein the relatively fixed adapter plate or base is denoted by the numeral In. This is suitably constructed and designed for connection to a tractor or other power supply and lead vehicle. The superposed complemental adapter plate is denoted by the numeral l l and is in the form of a single casting, is designed for attachment to the semi-trailer and properly equipped to serve the special purposes for which it is herein intended. That is to say, it includes a disk porton I2 and a depending marginal rim or flange l3 and radial marginal extension M for proper adaptation and accommodation purposes. At its center it isv apertured and provided with a bearing 15. Depending from the bearing and disposed in concentric relation thereto is a semi-spherical member 16 which may be conveniently referred to as a cap-like socket member. This fits over and has rockable contact with the companion truncated semi-spherical relatively stationary socket member I1.

7 Inasmuch as the part I! functions as a hollow ball, it may be distinguished to advantage as the outer ball jointing element forming the dominating part of the mounting or unit Hi. This part 18 comprises a single casting and includes an outstanding annular anchoring fiange is having an upstanding radially inward abutment flange 20. On the interior of the ball jointing element I7 I provide a series of circumferentially spaced equidistant wings or webs 2| provided at their inner ends with an arcuate rigidly attached annulus 22. This forms an inner socket member and is designed to serve as a seat or socket for the spring supported relatively small semi-spherical ball jointing element 23.

Attention now comes to the centralized perpendicular king pin indicated by the numeral 24. This is properly shouldered as indicated at 25 provided with a head at the upper end to cooperate with the bearing l5 as well as the associated parts of the trailer (not shown). The king pin extends down through the bearing as well as through the inner and outer ball and socket joint passing down beyond the ball jointing element 23 where it is screw-threaded to accommodate a cuppedadjusting nut 26 for the coiled spring 21.

- This spring surrounds the kingpin and is located The mount or unit 58 is suitably attached to the base plate by retention and cushioning means.

The preferred embodiment includes an annular angle iron embodying an upstandingannular rim 28 and inwardly extending flange 29 overlying the anchoring flange l9 and'abutting the abut- H and the underlying plate [0.

ment flange Thenumeral 30 designates an attaching lip which is bolted or otherwisesecured as at at to the .base1plateEID; AtthisrtimeI call.

attention. to the cushioning means which .com-

prises a rubber cushioning ring, there being a rel-.

atively thin ring 32 at the top interposed between the flanges l9 and 29, and assomewhat' larger thicker ring 33 interposed between the flange l9 plate it is aperturecl .as at 34 to-per'mit access to be hadto the nut 2t. x

To prevent turning of the adapter plate .I I with respect .to the plate Ill I-provide a longitudinally bowed slotted bracket or fixture 35 bolted as at 36 vto the under side of the plate H andeccentrically arranged. Cooperating 'with'this' is a keeper lug 37 which extendsintothe slot and which has a shank 33 threaded intoa holding socket 39 on the cushion housing and attachingdevice secured to the plate I0. 1 By summation, structural novelty is thought to reside in the superposed spaced parallel adapter plates to and H with the interposed jointing universal typeball and socket means. Specifically, the means is believed to be novel in that it includes a relatively large outer ball andsocket joint made up of the parts I B and I1 andthe complemental simultaneously operable inner concentric ball and socketjoint made' up of the parts 22 and 23. This provides the requisite universal tilting and rocking actionneeded for requisite compensating results. Novelty is further directed to the incorporation in this double ball and socket construction of the spring retained connecting or king pin 21 allowing thebodily lift of the adapter plate I! independent of the plate l andthe connecting means 58. Furthermoranovelty is'attached to the part iii of the'fiange' I 9 anchored on the plate lii through the instrumentality of cushion equippedmeans addingfurther compensating properties to the device asa whole.

T It is thought that the description taken in connection with the drawings will enable a clear understanding of the invention to be had. Therefore, a more lengthy descriptionis thought unnecessary. V p While the preferred embodiment of the invention has-been shown and "de sdrib ed, it is to be understood that minor changes coming within the field of invention claimed maybe resorted to if desired;

I Iclaim:

1 1. A universal type tractor and trailer hitch of 'the'class describedcomprising a relatively fixed adapter plate for thetractor, a relatively movable adapter plate f 01 the trailer, a centrallydisposed Incidentally, the

perpendicular adjustable spring retained king pin connected to said trailer adapter plate permitting bodily movement of the king pin and trailer 'nected with the inner ball and socket joint.

3. In a structure of the class described, alower adapter plate, an upper adapter plate disposed in spaced parallelism above the first named plate,

. inner and .outer centralized concentrc ball and socket jointing means between said plates, an

adjustable spring equipped king pin carried by the second named adapter plate-and directlyconnected with the inner ball and socket joint, together with cushioning and attaching means securing the outer-ball and socket connection with said first named adapter plate.

4. In a structural. assemblage of the class .de-

scribed, and as a component part of thecomplete combination, a tractor plate, a ball jointing unit embodying anv outer hollow ball jointing member open at its bottom andtop, said member being provided with internal radial webs, a part-spherical annulus connected to the inner ends of said webs in concentric arrangement with said ball jointing member, an'anchoring flange carried by said ball jointing, member, cushioning means en- .gageable with said anchoring flange, and reten tion and housing means on said adapter plate enclosing the flange and said cushioning means.

5. As a component part of an assemblage of the class described, a trailer adapter plate comprising a body including a disk-like portion with a depending annularrim, provided at its center with a bearing and'below said bearing with an integral semi-spherical socket element, a king pin mounted in said bearing and having a headed shoulder portion at its top above said plate, having its lower end screw-threaded and surrounded by a coiled spring, and a cupped adjusting and retention nut on said threaded end cooperable with said spring.

6. In a fifth wheel construction of the class described, a relatively fixed adapter plate for a tractor, a relatively movable adapter plate fora trailer disposed in superposed parallelism above the first-named adapter plate, a fixed outstanding guide and retention lug on said fixed adapter plate, a longitudinally curved and slotted bracket attached to said movable adapter plate and slidably connected with said lug, and ball and socket joining means interposed between and operatively connected with said adapter plates.

'7. As a component part of an assemblage of the character described, an upper adapter plate com+ pin and having in radially spaced relation to said king pin a trailer supporting bearing 1 and below said trailer supporting bearing at the bottom of the body a cup-like concave bearing member, engaged by a convex bearing member yieldingly supported on a lower adapter plate.

8. In an assemblage of the character described,

the combination comprising upper and lower adapter plates, with. the upperadapter plate having on its top an upwardly extending king pin and a trailer supporting bearing and at its bottom a downwardly extending inverted cup-like concave bearing having socketed therein an upwardly extending convex bearing member having a radially extending flange resiliently supported by the lower adapter plate.

9. In an assemblage of the character described, the combination comprising upper and lower adapter plates, with the upper adapter plate having on its top an upwardly extending king pin and a trailer supporting bearing and at its bottom a downwardly extending inverted cup-like concave bearing having socketed therein an up- 

